OFWs in northern Afghanistan appeal to Philippine gov't for repatriation

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday appealed to the Philippine government for repatriation a week after the militant group Taliban took over the war-torn country. Interviewed on Unang Hirit, Alfonso Dorado, an OFW staying in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said the United Nations had a contingency plan for their repatriation, but no exact date was given. "Sa ngayon okay naman po, pero hindi kami nakakalabas. Wala naman po kaming naririnig na mga krimen sa labas, mga insidente, wala naman po," Dorado said. (Our situation is okay so far, although we could not go out. We don't hear crimes of outside nor any other incidents) Dorado added that Mazar-i-Sharif has almost become a ghost town following the Taliban takeover, but locals said some stores are open and there is still supply of food. "Marami pang puwedeng mangyari at anytime. Humihingi po kami ng tulong na kung puwede ang ahensiya ng gobyerno, kung may paraan na makuha kami rito sa Mazar, magawan po sana ng paraan," another OFW said. (There is much more that could happen at anytime. We are asking for help from government agencies, if there is a way for us to be repatriated from Mazar, we hope it could be worked out.) "Gusto namin ma-repatriate rito at mauwi na sa Pilipinas. 'Yun po ang hinihintay namin at ayaw naming mangyari na magiging rescue operation na," the OFW added. (We would like to be repatriated and return to the Philippines. That's what we're waiting for. We do not want the situation to become a rescue operation.) The Taliban seized control of the Afghan government this month 20 years after being ousted by American forces in 2001. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said 182 Filipinos have so far been airlifted out of Afghanistan. Twenty-seven Filipinos remained in Afghanistan as of Monday, but 10 of them said they would like to stay in the war-torn country. The DFA said the 10 Filipinos' decision not to leave the country is "work-related." The DFA said 17 have requested company or Philippine government evacuation. On the other hand, five Filipinos, who were rescued by the Indonesian military in Kabul, have already returned to Manila and are undergoing quarantine. Manila raised Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory evacuation, for the whole of Afghanistan due to the uncertain security situation in the country. —KG, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more